His Grace was concelebrated by: – Priest Mark Rashkov, Rector of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist Church and Vice-Chancellor of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA; – Priest Anthony Kurakevich, cleric of Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in Passaic, NJ; – Hieromonk Seraphim (Balagas); – Hieromonk Stefan (Bushman); – Deacon Alexey Golubov, cleric of St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York City; – Deacon Stephan Boyd, cleric of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Pittsburgh, PA (Orthodox Church in America). The liturgical hymns were performed by the parish choir under the direction of choir director Alla Kerko.
At the conclusion of the service, the bishop was warmly greeted by the rector, Father Mark, who, on behalf of the entire parish, thanked Bishop Matthew for his visit and the opportunity to glorify Saint Tikhon before the icon containing his holy relic. In return, His Grace addressed the faithful with a homily and expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the rector, the parish council chairperson and members, benefactors, choir director and singers, volunteers, and all parishioners for their labor for the Church and love for their parish.
As a blessing, the bishop presented all those in attendance with an icon of the Iveron image of the Mother of God. Following the sermon, His Grace led a glorification (magnification) of Saint Tikhon and read a prayer to the saint before his holy image. The evening continued with fellowship during a brotherly meal at the cultural center of St. John the Baptist Church, lovingly prepared by the parish sisterhood.
